Help fund Charlies veterinary care
Claire Louise is raising money for York RSPCA Animals Home
Story
Thankyou for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
I am raising money for the York RSPCA animal home .
On 15th July 2018 York RSPCA were contacted by a veterinary practice who had had a young 1 year old ginger cat taken in to them.
This cat, who was later named Charlie had been found with his leg caught in a gin trap- (A mechanical device designed to catch an animal using spring loaded jaws with a serrated edge or teeth).
There are several reasons why such traps were made illegal in 1958!
On 6th August 2018 I became involved in Charlie's journey.
As a volunteer for the RSPCA they had asked if I could foster him. They felt he would benefit from being in a home environment where he could be kept safe and receive lots of one to one care while he recovers.
We often joke with the staff that we always get the 'difficult' cases, but a three legged paralysed cat...this was something else- just imagine that for a moment!
Thankyou.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
There are several reasons why such traps were made illegal in 1958!
Firstly, because they cause extreme and unnecessary pain and suffering to any animal caught and secondly, because they are totally indiscriminate in their choice of victims.
On that day vets described Charlie's hind leg as unsaveable, he was in extreme pain, dehydrated, underweight and had a high temperature. His wounds were described as purulent and necrotic with the presence of fly eggs.
That day Charlie had to undergo emergency life saving surgery to have his left hind leg amputated. He also required surgery on his right hind leg where he had skin loss and a puncture wound. The problem being that Charlie did not belong to anyone, he lived with a large semi-feral colony. This is when York RSPCA saved Charlies life, they agreed to fund his treatment so the surgery went ahead!
Thankfully the surgery went well and Charlie remained at the vets for one week to receive intensive care. He required a wound drain, intravenous antibiotics, fluids and pain relief. His wound healed well and he began to put on weight.
The York RSPCA funded all of Charlies treatment and offered him a space at the animal home.
On the 22nd July 2018 Charlie was well enough to leave the vets and be transferred into the care of the RSPCA. Charlie settled in well there, he was nervous of new people but otherwise affectionate and loving once he knew he was safe. It was time for Charlie's second chance, it was time for him to search for his forever home.
Sadly the story doesn't end here.
On the morning of 3rd August 2018 a member of staff at the RSPCA found Charlie in his cubicle unable to move his remaining hind leg. It quickly became apparent that something was very wrong and Charlie was taken to the nearby vet. He underwent x-rays and it was determined that he had a reduced intervertebral space at L1-L2 likely caused by disk herniation (slipped disk). Charlies spinal cord was compressed causing him to be paralysed from the waist down.
Charlie remained at the vets over the weekend for monitoring and pain relief. He made very slight improvement but not as much as the vets hoped, however they felt he needed to be given more time.
That day Charlie had to undergo emergency life saving surgery to have his left hind leg amputated. He also required surgery on his right hind leg where he had skin loss and a puncture wound. The problem being that Charlie did not belong to anyone, he lived with a large semi-feral colony. This is when York RSPCA saved Charlies life, they agreed to fund his treatment so the surgery went ahead!
Thankfully the surgery went well and Charlie remained at the vets for one week to receive intensive care. He required a wound drain, intravenous antibiotics, fluids and pain relief. His wound healed well and he began to put on weight.
The York RSPCA funded all of Charlies treatment and offered him a space at the animal home.
On the 22nd July 2018 Charlie was well enough to leave the vets and be transferred into the care of the RSPCA. Charlie settled in well there, he was nervous of new people but otherwise affectionate and loving once he knew he was safe. It was time for Charlie's second chance, it was time for him to search for his forever home.
Sadly the story doesn't end here.
On the morning of 3rd August 2018 a member of staff at the RSPCA found Charlie in his cubicle unable to move his remaining hind leg. It quickly became apparent that something was very wrong and Charlie was taken to the nearby vet. He underwent x-rays and it was determined that he had a reduced intervertebral space at L1-L2 likely caused by disk herniation (slipped disk). Charlies spinal cord was compressed causing him to be paralysed from the waist down.
Charlie remained at the vets over the weekend for monitoring and pain relief. He made very slight improvement but not as much as the vets hoped, however they felt he needed to be given more time.
On 6th August 2018 I became involved in Charlie's journey.
As a volunteer for the RSPCA they had asked if I could foster him. They felt he would benefit from being in a home environment where he could be kept safe and receive lots of one to one care while he recovers.
We often joke with the staff that we always get the 'difficult' cases, but a three legged paralysed cat...this was something else- just imagine that for a moment!
Anyway off we went to collect him from the vets. The vet nurse brought him out and put him down on the floor, she cautioned me that he can be a bit nervous of new people and might hiss a bit. I was knelt down on the floor at the opposite side of the room. With only the use of his front legs, he used every bit of his energy to drag himself over to me, pulled himself up onto my knee and gave me the biggest face rub with his wet nose - I just knew from that moment on that there was something extra special about him.
He came to stay with us for rehabilitation in the hope that he would regain sensation and the use of his back leg. His prognosis at this stage was uncertain but we all held on to hope. He settled in to our home really quickly and seemed particularly comforted by our other animals.
Fast forward to today, 14th January 2019. Amazingly and much to everyone’s relief, Charlie re-gained feeling and function in his hind leg. Day by day he made small improvements. A combination of gentle supported exercise, massage, being creative with different toys and lots on rest has all helped with his recovery. His determination has played the biggest part in this process! He is able to mobilise really well and doesn't let anything get in his way. He sometimes has the odd wobble and loses balance, but this doesn't bother him in the slightest. We have to remind him to have a rest sometimes otherwise he wears himself out and can get quite fatigued. His favourite thing to do is to play with another young RSPCA foster cat who lives with us, Luna. They like to chase one another up and down the stairs.
If he's not doing that he will be showing off by pulling himself up onto the kitchen workshops using the drawer handles to aid him. He does this to see what foods on offer!
If Charlie wants to do something he will, he doesn't let anything get in his way!! He has amazing determination and resilience.
As if Charlie hasn’t been through enough, he is currently undergoing investigations for chronic gingivitis. We are trying to determine an underlying cause. He’s seeing the vet regularly and recently been started on some treatment to reduce inflammation.
At just 1 year old Charlie has endured more than any animal should ever have to. However, his quality of life now is good, he is happy, playful and affectionate. He has such a cheeky boisterous personality but at the same time he's ultra sensitive. I’m pretty certain he knows he’s extra special. I have never met such a determined animal, he is truly inspirational.
Charlie was given his second chance, the staff at York RSPCA and the vets saved his life. The decisions made on each of those days could have been so very different and the outcome for him could have been bleak. Instead everyone remained hopeful and gave him the time he needed and best possible chance.
I wouldn’t like to hesitate to guess at how much it has cost York RSPCA to fund Charlies treatment up to now. I would love it if you would help me to raise some funds for the animal home so they can continue giving animals like Charlie a second chance.
He came to stay with us for rehabilitation in the hope that he would regain sensation and the use of his back leg. His prognosis at this stage was uncertain but we all held on to hope. He settled in to our home really quickly and seemed particularly comforted by our other animals.
Fast forward to today, 14th January 2019. Amazingly and much to everyone’s relief, Charlie re-gained feeling and function in his hind leg. Day by day he made small improvements. A combination of gentle supported exercise, massage, being creative with different toys and lots on rest has all helped with his recovery. His determination has played the biggest part in this process! He is able to mobilise really well and doesn't let anything get in his way. He sometimes has the odd wobble and loses balance, but this doesn't bother him in the slightest. We have to remind him to have a rest sometimes otherwise he wears himself out and can get quite fatigued. His favourite thing to do is to play with another young RSPCA foster cat who lives with us, Luna. They like to chase one another up and down the stairs.
If he's not doing that he will be showing off by pulling himself up onto the kitchen workshops using the drawer handles to aid him. He does this to see what foods on offer!
If Charlie wants to do something he will, he doesn't let anything get in his way!! He has amazing determination and resilience.
As if Charlie hasn’t been through enough, he is currently undergoing investigations for chronic gingivitis. We are trying to determine an underlying cause. He’s seeing the vet regularly and recently been started on some treatment to reduce inflammation.
At just 1 year old Charlie has endured more than any animal should ever have to. However, his quality of life now is good, he is happy, playful and affectionate. He has such a cheeky boisterous personality but at the same time he's ultra sensitive. I’m pretty certain he knows he’s extra special. I have never met such a determined animal, he is truly inspirational.
Charlie was given his second chance, the staff at York RSPCA and the vets saved his life. The decisions made on each of those days could have been so very different and the outcome for him could have been bleak. Instead everyone remained hopeful and gave him the time he needed and best possible chance.
I wouldn’t like to hesitate to guess at how much it has cost York RSPCA to fund Charlies treatment up to now. I would love it if you would help me to raise some funds for the animal home so they can continue giving animals like Charlie a second chance.
Thankyou.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.